[TowerTalk] Fixing failed tower and antenna system

[Mirko Sibilja]

Hi TTers,

our local club put up home-made 40' R25 clone with side-mounted rotator, C31
XR few inches above top of the tower and 8 el delta loop (27' boom) for 50 M
Hz at 18' long 1-1/2'' mast.  There it was impossible to guy it properly, du
e to proximity of the building in which our club is located, so it has been
free-standing.  The tower, in despite it has been overloaded, in the past su
rvived successfully some high winds and thunderstorms, but 70mph wind gusts
during recent (month ago) t-storm were too much for it - it broke at second
section (some 11' above the ground) and fell on the roof of the building. Be
side some minor damage on the roof, there were broken boom of C31XR, and som
e elements of delta loop and C31XR are bent.  We are going to fix a whole sy
stem, so we are discussing some possible solutions.  Considerations are (aft
er replacing broken section of the tower):

a) To leave  tower free-standing and put on it just small 3 el tribander,
b) To bracet the tower to the house and put up C31XR only (using two bracets
between whose the tower would be nested with some U-bolts). Note: we can bra
cet it at 13' level max, and distance between tower and house is a bit less
than 3',
c) To build new, free-standing lattice tower made of iron angle profiles, pr
operly tappered, and put up both C31XR and 50MHz antenna; using existing bas
e (3' x 3' x 3' in rocky limestone soil), on shorter mast as previously.

Any another ideas? Any good advices and hints would be appreciated very much
. (Note: we already *know* that the tower has been overloaded and we won't r
epeat the same mistake again).

Mirko, S57AD